Malphegor
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IUTT: Ch. 121
🕑 Added 2025-06-05 18:00:09 +0000 UTCDanzō was truly disappointed in Hiruzen. He had worked so hard for so long, yet Hiruzen was utterly defeated in just one exchange.
Now, Shin and Tsunade had become heroes of Konoha, while Hiruzen's prestige had fallen once again, he was dangerously close to becoming a public disgrace.
He had repeatedly advised Hiruzen to eliminate Shin. Although he had personal motives, he never thought he was in the wrong. To him, the one at fault was always the indecisive Hiruzen, who refused to bear the burden of infamy, and since Shin still had value, he never made a move.
Now, even if they wanted to eliminate Shin, it was too late.
Shin was not Kagami, he had absolutely no trust in them and wouldn't even give them the chance to launch a sneak attack.
Besides, Danzō had witnessed the battle between Shin and A.
At first, A's display of strength had already shocked him.
Good grief, at that level of speed and destructive power, he realized he'd be completely crushed in a direct confrontation. Then, after seeing the elusive Flying Thunder God technique, he had to admit he was jealous.
He had once tried to learn the Flying Thunder God as well, even Tobirama had personally instructed him. But neither he nor any of Tobirama's other disciples had managed to even get started with it.
And finally, when he saw Shin unleash the Complete Body Susanoo, he felt pure fear in his heart.
As disciples of Tobirama, they knew far more than the average person.
Complete Body Susanoo, this was a power that only Madara had once wielded. If it had just been the initial or first-stage, he might still have had the courage to fight.
A kunai would've done the trick, just stab and be done with it. But the Complete Body Susanoo? Tens of thousands of kunai wouldn't be enough!
Still, after the fear passed, he found himself with an even stronger desire for the power of the Uchiha clan. Deep down, he harbored a truth he never wanted to admit: he had always been extremely, extremely, extremely jealous of Kagami, who had a good background, good looks, and was deeply favored by the Second Hokage.
Even though for political balance and to keep the Uchiha in check, Kagami could never become Hokage or hold real power, Tobirama's high regard for him was genuine.
Because... Kagami's talent was real.
Especially those three-tomoe Sharingan eyes, among ninjas of the same level, he was virtually unmatched. And it wasn't just him, any Uchiha who awakened the Sharingan stood out among their peers.
That was why Danzō had always coveted the power of the Uchiha, he dreamed of possessing eyes like that.
So ever since Kagami's death, he began plotting. He subtly manipulated public opinion, gradually amplifying the Uchiha clan's flaws and embedding those negative views into people's minds.
Hiruzen wasn't unaware of this, he simply allowed it. He didn't covet the power of the Sharingan himself, but the Uchiha clan had grown too unruly to control. Especially after Kagami's death, the Uchiha became increasingly hard to manage.
In his eyes, if someone wasn't 100% loyal, they were 100% disloyal. And what use was a disloyal clan?
"I know you're upset, but some things are just out of our hands," Hiruzen sighed, responding to Danzō's anger.
"Spare me that nonsense. What do you mean 'out of our hands'?" Danzō snapped back. "If it weren't for your indecisiveness, things wouldn't have ended up like this."
"There's no point in bringing up the past," Hiruzen said. "But you've seen the current situation."
"Tsunade is already a rising force, she's determined to claim the Hokage seat. If I step down, they'll likely keep me alive for appearance's sake. But you and Koharu, your fates might not be so kind."
"Do you think I am scared easily? Cut the theatrics, just say what you mean." Danzō had long had enough of this man who always acted so noble and righteous. But that didn't mean he wanted to see Tsunade continue rising in power, either.
Hiruzen nodded and said, "Then I'll get straight to the point..."
For the next three hours, they engaged in a secret discussion.
After Hiruzen left, the corners of Danzō's mouth curled into an eerie smile without him even realizing it.
Because once again, he saw an opportunity. Not only a chance to suppress Tsunade, but also to bring down Hiruzen. Or rather... a chance to become Hokage himself.
The more fiercely Hiruzen and Tsunade clashed, the more power he could accumulate behind the scenes, waiting for the right moment to strike. But before that, he intended to fully cooperate with Hiruzen.
After all, Tsunade's momentum was overwhelming, she needed to be removed quickly. As for Hiruzen, he could take his time dealing with him.
---
Meanwhile, Shin retracted one of the shadow clones he had specifically deployed to eavesdrop on Hiruzen.
Fortunately, it was only a clone doing the spying, he only needed to receive the intel through its reports. But he had to admit: those two did know what they were doing, and their follow-up plan was genuinely interesting.
I just love opponents like you two, always losing but never giving up. Otherwise, this wouldn't be fun.
Having completely understood the plans being hatched by them, he activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and vanished from the spot, reappearing in Kumo.
At the place where he landed, a Flying Thunder God mark lay etched beneath his feet.
While he could teleport without a mark using his evolved Flying Thunder God Technique, that only worked for short-range movement. Even with his current strength, that range didn't exceed one kilometer. To achieve long-distance teleportation, a Flying Thunder God mark was still necessary.
---
Inside the Raikage's office, A was currently reporting everything about the mission to the Third Raikage in great detail. After listening to A's report, the Third Raikage fell into a long silence.
Like Danzō, he had been quite satisfied with the scheme they had devised. The level of manipulation involved was so refined that even he didn't think Tsunade would have a way to counter it. As long as Hiruzen took the bait and followed the plan, her reputation would be damaged, it would inevitably lead to infighting within Konoha.
But to his surprise, not only was she unaffected, her prestige had risen even further, while Hiruzen's standing had plummeted again.
If he hadn't known better, he would've thought he was personally helping Tsunade succeed.
At that moment, even the Third Raikage began to suspect: Was the intel on the scroll actually planted by Shin?
Otherwise, why was Tsunade always the one benefiting?
"I..." A finally broke the silence cautiously.
"This wasn't your fault," the Third Raikage said with a sigh, his train of thought interrupted. "You did well. The only problem was that Shin was hiding his cards too well."
"Don't overthink it. You've done enough. Go get some rest."
"Yes!"
